Woman claims Mo. water park kicked her out for skimpy bikini

Madelyn Sheaffer says park discriminated against her fuller figure

A metro woman said an Independence, Mo., water park kicked her out because of the way she looked in a bikini.

Madelyn Sheaffer and her daughter visited Adventure Oasis on July 2.

Sheaffer said she was swimming in one of the pools, wearing a bikini, when two park employees told her to put on shorts over her bathing suit.

"You always have the initial embarrassment, but I would say it was followed by indignation," Sheaffer said.

She refused to put on shorts and said a supervisor at the park told her to cover up or leave.

Sheaffer said, "He said this is a family park. It is inappropriate attire and, not only do I want you to put on shorts, but you can put on a shirt too because your top is too small as well."

She refused and said police escorted her out of the park.

Sheaffer recently lost 100 pounds.

She is convinced the park discriminated against her because of her age and her fuller figure.

"Just the fact that there were other girls wearing string bikinis -- 15, 16, 18 years old -- beautiful young bodies and they are not being told to cover up," Sheaffer said.

Midwest Pool Management released a statement Friday.

"Adventure Oasis is a community swimming pool owned by the City of Independence. It is the City's desire to maintain a family friendly environment for the enjoyment of patrons of all ages. MPM has been retained by the City since it opened in 2005 to manage their pool, and enforce the City's rules of conduct for users of their facility."

The statement explains that rules include appropriate body coverage and not using obscene language. It said staff will determine if rules are being followed and will remove those who fail to obey them.

As for the case of Sheaffer, the statement concluded, "Out of respect for her privacy, we will not discuss the specific details of our interaction with her."